Crime surges in Greater Manchester - but police say it’s not full picture

Crime rates across Greater Manchester have risen by a third in recent months. New Home Office figures published on the government’s ‘crime map’ show there were 33,603 incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour recorded by Greater Manchester Police during April.

Crime rates across Greater Manchester have risen by a third in recent months.

New Home Office figures published on the government’s ‘crime map’ show there were 33,603 incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour recorded by Greater Manchester Police during April.

The figures are the fifth set of monthly crime statistics published on the crime map since its launch – and reveal a sharp rise in crime over the period.

Earlier this month, GMP announced that crime rates were at their lowest level for a decade.

Police bosses acknowledge that the new figures are accurate – but say they provide only ‘a snapshot’ and do not reflect the overall picture. Analysis by the M.E.N. shows there was a 30 per cent rise in the number of crimes recorded in April compared with five months earlier.

The daily average number of crimes went up by a third from 838 per day in December 2010 to 1,120 per day in April.

Recorded crime went up in all but two of the 59 neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester - with only the city centre and the airport showing a drop in crime since the maps were launched.

The highest rise was in Oldham East, which covers St James, St Mary’s and Waterhead.

There were 614 crimes recorded in the area during April, up from 367 in December 2010 – an increase of 67 per cent.

Five other neighbourhoods showed increases in crime of 50 per cent or more over the five months. Those were Heywood (63 per cent), Bolton East (57 per cent), Saddleworth and Lees (54 per cent), Moss Side and Hulme (51 per cent) and Bolton West (50 per cent).

There were 15,166 incidents of anti-social behaviour recorded during April – which was an increase of 48 per cent on the figure for December.

GMP recently announced that crime rates were at their lowest for 10 years.

Simon Byrne, deputy chief constable of GMP, said: "Crimemapper allows residents to hold their local officers to account and that transparency is welcome – but it’s worth noting these figures are a mere snapshot, covering just one month and encompassing a larger demographic area than appears at first glance.

"Comparing month-on-month does not provide the true picture of crime and anti-social behaviour in Greater Manchester. Different times of year and different seasons bring with them very individual trends.

"If we look at April we need to compare it with the previous April. For example, crime and antisocial behaviour has reduced by 13.4 per cent from April 2010 to April 2011.

"Crime continues to fall and it is now at its lowest level for a decade as our officers, particularly the Neighbourhood Policing Teams, work with residents to tackle the crimes that affect them most."

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Although the latest crime figures for Greater Manchester may not make good reading, the simple fact that we have such statistics at our fingertips now is a positive step forward. This level of transparency about criminal activity in our individual neighbourhoods was simply not available before.

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